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DOGS TRAINING

Basic commands :

Basic commands can be taught when your puppy is 12 weeks old. But wait until he is 6 or 8 months old before enrolling him in obedience classes. Get a collar and leash before teaching commands. The leash should be 6 feet long and 1/2 to 1 inch wide. Hold it in a way that you have about 2 feet in reserve. Training sessions should be regular say 15 to 30 minutes once or twice a day.

Basic training in obedience includes teaching commands like heel, sit, stay, down, come, no or leave it, drop it and don't jump up and so on. The first and the most important command you can teach your dog is to heel i.e walk along beside you on your left side without going ahead or going behind. Always snap the leash to get him into position. Then go on ahead with the other commands one by one praising him lavishly while he learns. Keep on repeating the commands, correct and manually guide him to perform the command until he learns each lesson and do it always in a firm, confident and a no-nonsense voice.

HEALTH CARE

Vaccinations

Get your new puppy or dog checked out with a veterinarian and establish a schedule for his immunizations. Puppies need to be inoculated at the age of one and a half months with a six-in-one vaccine that protects against distemper, parvo, canine, parainfluenza and so on. At two and a half months, they are due for a booster dose. The rabies and Corona vaccines are separate and given at three months. All vaccines need an annual booster.

A pedigreed dog will need regular veterinary intervention. Symptoms of sickness to look out for are excessive thirst, loss of appetite, frequent diarrhea, bleeding from the mouth, nose or anus, strain to pass urine, weight loss, shivering, confusion, lameness or difficulty in moving. Make a note of the symptoms and furnish all the details to the vet so that he can make an accurate diagnosis. Some of the are given below:

Common Pet Diseases

Ticks and fleas

Ticks are best controlled by manual removal and keeping the surroundings clean and uncluttered. They are usually seen on the head and neck, on and in the ears and between the toes. Wear rubber gloves while removing ticks to avoid contact with blood. Use a chemical dip or a solution of Butox or Asuntol both on the dogs and its environment to kill fleas and ticks. Flea collars are ineffective and contain dangerous chemicals.

Ticks and fleas transmit worms and cause skin irritations and allergies. Severe infestation of flees can cause anemia as fleas feed on blood. Dogs pick up tapeworms from fleas. Round worm infested puppies may be very thin, have a pot belly, Diarrhea and a cough. Medication should be given for the particular type of worm infested. Canine Distemper Symptoms of canine distemper include coughing (a puppy can die of pneumonia in the first or second week of distemper), diarrhea, listlessness and fever. Prognosis depends upon severity and early diagnosis and treatment. This disease is highly preventable with vaccine usually taken at one and a half months of age.

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